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2018 Jp Dirt ’N Drive #JPDND18 Day 3: Flagstaff to Kayenta

On our last report, the Jp Dirt ’N Drive group had completed a fantastic first day on the trail. The group started in Fort McDowell, Arizona, and ended just outside Flagstaff, Arizona, after checking out obstacles (Widow Maker, Four Peaks, and the Tonto Basin), climbing the rim, and even traversing an original section of Route 66.

After a restful night’s sleep at the Twin Arrows Casino, it was time to carry on with the adventure North to Moab. But of course, the route did not include the fastest or easiest ways to get there. Locals know that just outside Flagstaff is the off-road mecca that is the Cinder Hills OHV Area, and that’s exactly where Editor Rick Péwé led the group. Similar to sand dunes only solid black and much steeper, the cinders are evidence of the significant volcanic activity in the area. It was today that the group also dubbed themselves the 2018 Dirt ’N Drive Trash Tour, with participants taking time at each and every stop to pick up trash and leave the area cleaner than they found it.

After checking out what it must be like to go four-wheeling on the moon at the Cinders, it was time to venture on into Native American Lands and some less traveled public roads that led to the Grand Falls, a crevasse that’s the site of waterfalls higher than Niagara—when water is running. Unfortunately there wasn’t any water running when Dirt ’N Drive visited, but it was an impressive canyon carved out of the surrounding mesa regardless.

After passing through both Navajo and Hopi Indian Nation lands on and off the pavement, the group eventually reached Highway 160 just a short hop from Kayenta, Arizona. Thanks to an arrival time well before dark, the overnight stop was also a great opportunity for participants to check over their rigs and tighten bolts that had worked loose after two hard days on the trail.

Tomorrow is the final push to Moab, so check in with Jp’s social media pages to see the latest updates as the group heads for the victory dinner in Moab.